March 2015

January 31, 2012

Ready for more trends today? Vivian here with the second installment of CHA Armchair Attendee Week. Today we're going to be taking a look at trends in product themes. (Yesterday's post provided an introduction and included Trends, Part I, with a focus on patterns and motifs, so you might want to start there if you missed it.)

There are some pretty consistent trends that happen, with spring, summer, and travel lines typically released at the winter show in anticipation of the upcoming months, and winter, holiday, and Valentine's collections released at the summer show for the same reason, but there are always new ideas and twists on old ideas. A reminder that I am not trying to be comprehensive in my armchair attendance this week, but am trying to give you a taste of some of the things that have caught my eye, or the eye of Write.Click.Scrapbook. team members on the show floor.

Speaking of team members, look at how much fun Donna and Marnie are having at the show!

Marnie continued to have even more fun, along with Aly, when they confirmed yesterday's rumor and met Tori Spelling, who released a DIY jewelry line with Darice:

One theme trend I noticed that Marnie and Aly confirmed from the show floor (once they'd gotten over the excitement of having met Tori, of course!): office-themed products and collections. There are so many different takes on this - I'll share some favorites.

This next line is not as traditionally office-y, but I don't quite know what else to call it. I think I'm going to coin a new term: office eclectic. It's the This & That Charming Collection from Echo Park which combines receipts, rulers, fans, cameras, globes, ledger paper, numbers and many, many other patterns and motifs:

Last up in the office theme category are the Paper Clips from Studio Calico's Take Note line. Note the description on the package - these are paper clips with fabric. I think this is most definitely a new take on the office theme!

Another trend that seems to have exploded this year is the travel theme. There have typically been a few travel lines released, but there are so many more than usual this year, and there are a ton of really unique twists. I'm going to focus on those twists in the examples here.

Bazzill Basics Paper, typically known for cardstock, has been slowly making its way into the world of patterned paper. One of their new releases is the Wayfarer line, which I'm highlighting because of the chevron-print paper with map-print chevron stripes:

Studio Calico's Abroad line provides another interesting take on the travel theme. There's a lot that's unique with this line, but what I found most unique were the U.S. states wood veneer shapes and die cut shapes:

Another fun twist on the travel theme is this pattern-within-a-pattern (again, the quilt trend I mentioned yesterday) airplane paper from Glitz Design's Happy Travels line:

I'll share one more twist on travel, Basic Grey's What's Up line. I love the unusual color palette here and the fun hot air balloons (trust me, I'm not showing you more examples of this, but the hot air balloon is a trend-within-a-trend this year - they are popping up everywhere!):

January 30, 2012

Welcome to CHA Armchair Attendee Week! I'm Vivian, and I will be your host this week. As most of you know, the Craft and Hobby Association’s winter trade show is taking place this week in Anaheim, CA. Companies that manufacture craft products -- including our beloved papercrafting products -- show their new releases in booths visited by retailers, who place orders for the new products. Lots of other folks figure into the mix as well, as craft publishers are represented, design team members help to staff booths, and celebrities usually figure into the mix. (I still have my piece of Paris Hilton scrapbook paper, signed when I met none other than Paris herself at CHA a few years back. Rumor has it that our own Marnie Flores may cross paths with Tori Spelling this time around.)

I’m not at CHA this year, but have been having a lot of fun following all of the hoopla online and am excited to share some of that fun with you this week. Here’s the plan for this week:

Monday: Introduction and Trends, Part I: Patterns and Motifs

Tuesday: Trends, Part II: Themes

Wednesday: Trends, Part III: Products

Thursday: CHA give.away.day. (yes, that’s right, as in goodies straight from the show floor!)

Friday: Write.Click.Scrapbook. team members’ “must haves” from CHA

Introduction

Getting on with our introduction…some of you may be wondering what it means to be an “armchair attendee.” How can you “attend” the show if you’re not there? Well, here’s my process.

In the weeks ahead of the show, I regularly frequent websites that compile manufacturers’ sneak peeks. Most manufacturers “sneak” their new releases prior to the show via their company’s blog/website, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and that can be exhausting to follow without the aid of websites that do the work of compiling sneaks for you. Three good websites for this are Scrapbook & Cards Today, Scrapbook Update and The Scrap Review. Each presents the sneaks a little bit differently: Scrapbook & Cards Today provides clickable links by manufacturer, Scrapbook Update provides a clickable list by date of sneaks, and The Scrap Review blogs sneaks as they appear.

As I look at sneaks, I make sure to check out both official product images as well as any projects showcasing the new products. Often a line or a product that doesn’t grab me at first looks different when I see it on a layout or a card.

Once the show starts, I watch online for photos and videos from the CHA show floor. Not all companies do sneak peeks or extensive sneak peeks and seeing new products together with projects made with them in the booth can inspire. You can try searching #CHAshow on Twitter, check magazines' and manufacturers' Twitter feeds/Facebook pages/blogs, or follow targeted CHA forums (like the CHA Winter 2012 forum at Two Peas in a Bucket or Studio Calico's CHA forum).

Most important, I make my wishlist! That was made much easier this year by Pinterest. I started a CHA Winter 2012 board and every time I looked at sneaks I pinned ones that grabbed my attention. (Don't worry, I won't buy it all!)

Trends, Part I

Now let’s take a look at trends in patterns and motifs. I am not going to attempt to be comprehensive here, but have selected three trends that have caught my eye and will share those with you. Beware, lots of images forthcoming!

The first trend I want to share with you is chevron. Chevron patterns started appearing recently in scrapbook products, but they have really taken off with this show. While chevron up until now has been primarily a single color chevron stripe paired with a neutral, this time around it seems to be “chevron with a twist.” Let me show you some examples.

How cool is this quilted chevron from Pink Paislee's Prairie Hill line? When I first saw this sneak I had to stare at it for a bit to figure out all that was going on here!Let's move on to look at another trend: clouds. I don't know about you, but cloud patterns just make me happy. I'm seeing a lot of patterned clouds this year.

This paper, from My Little Shoebox's Happy Go Lucky line, features polka dot clouds, clouds with a doodle swirl pattern, and, while it's hard to tell from the sneak image (one of the limits of being an armchair attendee!), I think some of the clouds have text:

One more pattern/motif trend that is popping up all over the place: honeycomb/hexagon.

I first noticed this trend with these two stunning papers from the My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart collections (note that these papers also follow the quilted trend that we saw earlier in the Pink Paislee chevron pattern):

Hambly also has an interesting take on the honeycomb/hexagon trend (and more chevron!) with one of their patterned cardstocks:

I could continue commenting on pattern/motif trends and pasting examples here for days, but hopefully this will give you a taste of what's out there and coming to stores soon.We'd love to hear from our readers - which of these three trends is your favorite? What other patterns and motifs are you seeing across sneaks?

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Trends, Part II, which will focus on product line themes seen across companies.

December 15, 2011

It's Thursday, which means it'shere at Write. Click. Scrapbook. Today's give.away.day. features the Christmas Wishes line from Bella Blvd. This whimsical holiday line combines bright colors, classic patterns, and a whole lot of fun!

Vivian used this line to create both a layout and card:

For a chance to win the Christmas Wishes line, please leave a comment below sharing with us your holiday wish. Comments will remain open through this evening and one lucky number will be drawn at random and posted tomorrow. Be sure to check back to see if yours is the lucky number as it is your responsibility to claim your number by midnight Saturday!

As a thank you to our friends over at Bella Blvd, please check them out on Facebook and tell them that Write. Click. Scrapbook. sent you!

November 16, 2011

Clouds here again, and a Happy Wednesday to ya! If you have ever lived in Colorado then you really learn to appreciate the very little "Fall" season we get, 3wks at most, and one day you see it, the other you don't. This season me, my hubby, and friends had the opportunity to visit the Rocky Mtn Natl park, and we took some amazing pictures of the foliage, and immensely enjoyed!

November 15, 2011

Hello there, Clouds here, I've taken over the blog this wk, and my hope is to bring inspiration to you as we get ready for the holidays this season. I didn't grow up celebrating Thanksgiving (born in a different country) so, when I came to the US, the thought of making tons of food for one meal baffled me, and then, I began to understand why we celebrate Thanksgiving and how people incorporate their own traditions into the major holiday. So, the hubby and I have celebrated now, quite a few Thanksgiving dinners, each different as we celebrate with different people (friends and family). So, what are you thankful for this season? For me, it's always life, and the ability to prusue a college education, the hubby and my fam, and health ... simple things that we can really appreciate, don't you think?

November 14, 2011

Hello there, Clouds here again hosting this wk, it's four days of fun and quick ways to get ready for the holidays, whether its gift cards, tags or treat boxes, so get ready to use what may already have, put it to use and make those handmade gifts that anyone on the receiving end will enjoy. So, here's some inspiration, if you're having guests over for Thanksgiving, or if you're planning on making gift boxes for your family for Christmas:) Enjoy!

November 11, 2011

Welcome to the last day of Making it Easy! I know reading these posts and thinking about your process hasn't been so easy for the last few days but trust me, spending this time now will save you so much time and energy later that it's totally worth it. Paying attention and putting some processes in place will make the actual scrapbooking process more fun and much easier!

I wanted to end this week with a list of ideas on what you could do if you have 15-minutes of free time. Fifteen minutes feels like such a small amount of time that we often don't even bother to work on scrapbooking. But there's actually a long list of things you can do in just fifteen minutes.

And sometimes, you might have a longer period of free time but you don't feel creative at all. Even during those times you can do things that will help you create scrapbooking pages. So here are a list of ideas from me and the write.click.scrapbook team to help use those precious minutes.

Photos

Edit photos

Organize photos according to stories

I browse my photo files to find the photos I want to use to tell my story

Print some pictures

Stories

I generally take out my photos, lay them on the page and think of a title

Jot down some ideas/themes for my journaling

Brainstorm to create a list of stories i want to tell

Do a quick blog post

Design

Digital: if I have 15 minutes I will throw together a page template based on something I've sketched or an idea for a page.

Sketch an idea for a layout.

Supplies

I might pick my letters for the title. or just a few papers that match my photos

Glue some supplies down just to start the juices flowing

Pull out some recent items I purchased and look for ideas with them

Tear, mist or stamping something onto something else. It's sort of a "free-creative" process that tend to warm up my mojo plus I often end up using whatever it is that I put together either on a page or on a card.

Sort through a supply drawer or two and put together a little page kit. (Then I pair it with photos—either the actual pictures if I have them, or a sticky note to remind me which photos I meant to use with that kit.)

Choose my paper, embellishments and letter stickers so I'm ready to go next time

Organization

Cleanup my space

Dump out some items in my favorites bucket and put new ones

I tend to go through my scraps or just fiddle around in my stash.

Organize my supplies. I like to see what I haven't used in a while, or to find things that perhaps I meant to use for a story or layout and never did. I'll pull out those items and then make a quick note of photos or story ideas that I think would work well with those supplies.

I have a cork board of my desk and I will pin the paper there for the next time I am sitting down to scrap.

Pin new ideas on Pinterest

[cork board above lisa's desk]

[I find pinterest to be an endless source of inspiration. You can find write.click.scrapbook boards right here.]

As you can see there's a long list of things you can do in 15 minutes regardless of whether you're inspired or not. I would love for you to leave comments with more ideas and then I will add them all here and we can all bookmark it so next time we have 15 minutes free, we can use this huge list of possible ideas on how to spend that time effectively.

Thank you so much for joining me this week and I hope that at least some of the information was useful to you. And I wanted to extend a huge thanks to the whole write.click.scrapbook. team; without their support, help and ideas this week would have been impossible.

November 09, 2011

Welcome back! Now that we covered the fundamentals, today we get to talk about the fun stuff: scrapbook supplies!

I asked the whole team how they organize their products so they can save time and streamline their process. There are days when all I do during my creative time is sort through my stash or clean up my desk or look for a specific supply. At the end of those days, I often feel frustrated that I wasted all this creative-time on busy-work. This is why I put a lot of focus on how and where I store my supplies so they work best with my particular way of scrapbooking.

My goal today is to get you thinking about your process so you know where to put your supplies and how to organize them so that you can spend more time scrapping and less time moving things around.

So let's get started.

Coordinating and Grouping

Several team members said that they store their supplies by color. If you're the kind of person who is inspired by color, I think this is one of the easiest ways to organize your supplies. This way all your blue papers and flowers and alphas are together and you can match them very easily. This is my most-common way of creating a layout. I tend to pick a few colors from my photos and center my layout around them. So if I am creating a layout using green, red and blue, I just take out those three baskets and I am good to go.

[my very untidy white drawer]

However this doesn't work for everyone. For example, while Aly organizes her embellishments by color, she keeps her patterned paper by manufacturer. She says: " Keeping my patterned paper this way allows me to find coordinating papers quickly since I find it easier to scrap with papers from the same line most of the time." This way she never has to make sure the blues or greens match. She uses papers that were created to coordinate. Donna does something similar and she mentioned that this also helps her use her scraps more often.

And if you're a big kit scrapper like Francine, her system might work best for you: "I'm a big user of monthly kits, which make it easy for me to grab an already coordinated set of products and get a page done. " Just keep them in their packaging and you have a set or pre-coordinated products at your disposal anytime.

Yet, other people like to coordinate by type. Francine sorts her general stash by type because it makes most sense to her to have it that way. Celeste said she does the same thing for her digital products: "I organize my digital products using ACD See by Store, Designer, and type of product. This makes it easy for me to find bits and pieces when I need them - like buttons or an alphabet."

So the trick is knowing how your process works. Do you tend to scrap by color or prefer several papers from a similar manufacturer? Do you prefer all your alphas in one place and buttons in another. The best way to do it is the way that works with your particular process so it flows naturally for you.

Tucked Aways vs Out in the Open

There are people who can only create in chaos and those who cannot create unless the desk is completely clean. It is important to know what kind of environment inspires you so you know how to store your product.

I learned early on that I like everything tucked away. I don't mind chaos while I am creating but being able to see all the products overwhelms me, so I prefer to have things organized and then just pull out the drawers I need when I need them. And I always clean my desk after each project. The last thing I want to do when I am feeling creative is worry about cleaning my desk.

[my supplies are in baskets and drawers and I pull out whatever I need when I need it.]

[my desk as I create]

[my desk after i cleanup. you'll notice my sewing machine is always there. I stitch on every layout so I need to have my machine accessible.]

Donna mentioned that she likes to keep her space clean, too, but she does it for a slightly different reason: "I organize my embellishments and other supplies by type and keep them in open baskets. Everything is organized, but out in the open so that I can see what I have. I don't work well in a cluttered workspace and so after I finish a layout or group of layouts I make sure to clean-up my space and put everything away. For me, keeping my space clean is the key to making sure that I can find what I want when I want it." She has everything out in the open, so if it's all neat and organized, she can see everything well.

Many people prefer to have their supplies out in the open cause they tend to forget what they have. So you need to figure out what's best for you. Maybe you want it all out in the open. Or you want the papers tucked away but the ribbons in see-through jars. It's all about what works for you.

Same goes for the kind of storage. Some people prefer vertical paper storage and others put them in drawers. Yet others use baskets. Glass jars, tins, there's an endless list of options. I think the two things that matter most is knowing whether you like a cluttered or a clean space and if you like your supplies to be tucked away or out in the open. Those two questions tell you the most about where you should organize your supplies.

[Amy says: I mostly use the 12x12 drawers made by Sterlite. Each color has an embellishment drawer and a patterned paper drawer. I also have drawers for word-based items, Christmas, baby, and Halloween.]

Proximity

One of the things I discovered during my layout a day adventure was that I used at least 5 types of alphabet stickers on each layout. For me, alphabets were an obvious exception to the "I organize by color" decision. In the middle of the month, I pulled out all my alphas from each basket and put them all in one basket (sorted by color). This has saved me more time than I'd like to admit.

I also moved all my punches so I don't have to get up from my chair to get at them. Same with my adhesive and sewing machine and white cardstock. These are items I use on every single scrapbook layout so having them really close to my desk saves me a lot of time on each page.

[my punches are right next to my desk, I don't have to get up to reach them.]

Others on the team do similarly, Aly says, "My adhesives are all in a basket with a handle so I can easily pull them out and keep it on my desk while I'm working." And Francine says, "I keep my most used tools in a tool caddy on my main work area, with other tools like punches and paper cutters in drawers and shelves that are part of the working desk. I now keep my sewing machine out and ready to go if I need it."

[Aly's punches are portable and accessible]

[this smaller expedit is right next to my desk, those are albums I am currently putting layouts into, on top the basket holds the layouts I just finished but didn't put into albums yet, the black baskets hold things I use all the time like alphas and the drawers have the punches I showed above.]

Having often-used items nearby and ready to go will be invaluable. These are also items that you know you need to stock up. So if you use a particular type of adhesive on every page, make sure to buy a few extras so you never run out. I always keep an extra-large stash of white cardstock since I use it on every page. I would hate to sit down at my desk, full of ideas, and find out that I had no cardstock left.

Special Cases

I wanted to take the time to talk about a few exceptions that almost every team member mentioned. Most of us seem to create a special area for holidays like Halloween or Christmas. And also for Baby. Depending on your family, the categories might differ but there are a few occasions that are special and might need their own mini-organizational structure. I have a Christmas basket that only comes out when I am doing December Daily and then goes back in until the next year. Others might keep all the school-related supplies in a drawer of their own. It's worth taking the time to think about what might be special exceptions for you.

I wanted to mention one more thing I use frequently. Since I am a "put everything out of sight" scrapper, I created one little basket on my table. This is where I put my most recent purchases or a supply that I've been saving for a special occasion. This way it's right there and I can attempt to use it on each layout. It's my way of making sure I don't forget about those special supplies I bought that I really want to make sure to use.

[my favorites basket]

[I also put smaller items in this container and put the container in the favorites basket.]

[to be fair, most of the time it looks more like this.]

That's all I have for supplies. Your task for today is to look at the way you organize your supplies and see if it works well with the flow of your scrapbook process. Can you change things around so it works better?

As always, I would love to hear more ideas or any questions you have. I hope you're finding these helpful and I will see you one last time on Friday to talk about how we can optimize little chunks of time we might find here and there in our day!

August 24, 2011

In the series of posts I've written so far this summer I've shared with you my love for two of my favorite products. First, my favorite basic supply, patterned paper, and then my favorite embellishment, buttons. This month I'm back to share with you my love for my favorite scrapbooking tool, the punch. I am slightly partial to border punches (I confess to having a rather large collection), but I love regular punches too and today I thought I'd share my favorite ways to use punches.

Use punches to add a decorative touch to your projects

This is the most obvious example, simply use the tool as it was intended. On this simple layout about my favorite summer love, iced coffee, I used a border punch to add detail to my layout and to add a little more color too:

On this card I did the same thing using one of my favorite butterfly punches:

I tend to keep my cards very simple. I find that punches are an easy way to add an embellishment or pop of color to a card. And when it comes to me and cards, easy is best.

Use punches to create custom embellishments

There are countless ways that you can use your punches to create custom embellishments. These are just a small sampling of my favorites.

Next is an example that has been shared here at WCS before, but I think it is so adorable and creative that it deserves a second look. Brenda Johnston used a combination of punches to paper piece together this cute little owl:

Here are the punches she used:

In another example from Monika, she used punches to create a custom embellished tag for this layout:

Use punches to embellish gifts

You can use your punches for more than just scrapbooking. I used a border punch, patterned paper and some thick twine to wrap this small gift box:

In the following examples, Monika used punches to embellish a variety of packages and envelopes:

Isn't it incredible? I love the colors in this layout too, this is certainly a very happy page.

One of my favorite scrapbookers, Davinie Fiero, made a custom background by punching out various shapes in the same color as her background cardstock in this layout to create a tone-on-tone effect:

I love how the punched shapes mimic the look of the macaroni necklace. Such a sweet layout!

Finally, an example using a Punch All Over the Page. These punches let you punch anywhere on your page. They are great for both punching into paper to create a negative space, and because they come in a great variety of shapes you can use them as you would use a traditional punch too. I used a combination of a punch and a stamp to create a custom background for this layout:

Use punches with reckless abandon because you love punches

Does that sound familiar? When you really love something you don't need a specific reason to use it. I didn't realize how many I had used on this layout:

I just kept pulling out punch after punch and before I knew it I had used several, 8 in total. Notice all the patterned paper and buttons too? This layout basically covers all of my favorites in one example!

Here is another beautiful layout from Karen:

She used a variety of border punches in different patterns and colors to create this layout (I think I counted 11 punches in total). I love how it looks simple and then you look a little closer and notice all the details. This is definitely an idea I plan on using in the future.

The projects and layouts I shared today cover just a few the ways that you can use both traditional and border punches. How about you, do you love punches too? Share your creative ideas, and link to any visuals, in the comments. I'd love to hear your ideas and see what you've created!

Since this is my last post for the summer I'll say goodbye, for now. Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for give.away.day!

July 19, 2011

Hello dear summer readers! I am back, wading through the boxes, cleaning supplies, and packing materials to bring you a (hopefully) fun day of decorating on the cheap. When I last left you, all of my possessions were sitting on a truck while we were waiting to close on our house. Five very long days later, we finally did. So I find myself in a position where many of you probably are. Busy, lots to do, tons of grand schemes and plans, yet a lack of time (and energy) to carry them through. After two weeks of being in the house I am nearly done unpacking boxes and ready to start enjoying some summer...and starting some of those big projects. First on my list, is Jack's room. This, is Jack...

(frames by Paislee Press, tape by Pugly Pixel)

Ahhhhhh, isn't he cute :) He is now six months old, army crawling, and beginning to sit up. Yes, must get this house unpacked very soon. In our old house, his room consisted of a corner of our bedroom. Here, he has his very own room. Yea! Perhaps he will start sleeping through the night! Fingers and toes are crossed. So his room is literally, a clean slate.

White walls, white floors (which we didn't paint but which I absolutely love)

Hand me down dresser from his brother and sister (with a handle that never actually got painted) and a (pink) hand me down radio from his sister (hey it works.)

A wall full of closets is great for storage, but not quite sure where to put his teeny tiny bookcase. Mmmmhhhh. Anyway, this is one of the ideas I had for his crib wall.

Ok, so no my example isn't perfect, but using the rectangle tool, the eye-dropper tool to pick colors from his bedding, and the eraser, now my hubs has an idea of what I was talking about with a stripey wall. I figure keep the rest white and go bold with this wall!But, we still need some "art." Oh pinterest, how I love thee. I typed in "monsters" in the search bar and found lovely goodness.

Which sadly seems to be sold out/discontinued so I am on the hunt for some. I am picturing a few of these monsters framed in some 5x5 frames.

In my searches I also found this adorable kit from Everyday Mom Ideas. What a sweet kit-oooo and looky. Another banner for me to fawn over. Goodness gracious do I love banners.

And with it, I made this for Jack's door.

(Germs font from dafont.com)

While I was pregnant with Jack, we all starting calling him Baby Bean, and the nickname has stuck. When I saw this sign at Starbucks during Christmas time, I sniffed hormonally at it, and knew I had to have one. So my dear Daddy went to his local Starbucks and simply asked for it.

Free art. I am thinking perhaps replacing the little snowy boy with a photo matted on foam core, but haven't quite made up my mind. Suggestions?

So there you have it. My ideas for Bean/Jack's room. I will keep you updated on the progress. Oh and as for 50 First Dates? Yeah, haven't started yet. But hopefully, soon. For heaven's sakes, I still haven't seen Harry Potter!